


Chris Chow, Matchmaker Extraordinaire

by 42hrb



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Flirting, Getting Together, M/M, Neighbors, Small Towns, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Writer Nursey, meddling siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 00:53:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12287799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/42hrb/pseuds/42hrb
Summary: Dex's new neighbor is surprisingly hot. No wonder people keep hinting that they should get together.ORThe one where Nursey is a writer struggling to find inspiration and Dex runs his families diner in Maine.





	Chris Chow, Matchmaker Extraordinaire

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically just 9.5k of fluff. Read at your own risk.

There was something calming about waking up to the sounds of waves crashing onto the rocks outside of the window and gulls calling to each other as they flew through the early dawn light. William Poindexter had grown up waking up to those sounds and hadn’t realized how much he missed them when he went away to college until he came back and he felt whole again. 

But that didn’t stop him from moving to Boston after he graduated to work for Ernst and Young as an accountant. He didn’t love his job, but he did like the money and the fact that he could get home to Bar Harbor at least once a month. He made a few friends, he liked Boston enough, and he liked how close he was to the ocean. Just being able to look out his apartment window and see the Harbor made him feel a little at home. 

He lived that way for almost five years, and then everything changed. 

One morning when he was 28, his older sister Kelly called him and told him he needed to come home. Will didn’t hesitate before getting into his car and driving the nearly five hours to his parent’s house. 

He didn’t get back to Boston until almost a month later, and that was just to clear out his apartment. Kelly, Patrick, and Erin all told him he didn’t have to give up his life, that they could take care of the restaurant now that mom and dad were gone, but Will, well he didn’t think he could live with himself if he hadn’t stayed. 

That was almost two years ago. Now Will was pushing thirty and he was surprisingly happy. He had thought that working the same floors and counter as his parents would hurt, but instead it was healing. He never felt closer to his mom than when he was working the grill at the diner, never closer to his dad than when he was serving the regulars their coffee and hearing the latest town gossip. 

“Will, can you come out and help Peggy on the floor?” Kelly popped her head into the office where Will was working on the budget, “We just got a group of tourists.”

“I’ll be right out,” He saved his work and then saved it again. He wasn’t risking it, not after the great coffee incident of 2017. 

The diner, Desert Mountain Diner, had been in the Poindexter family since the 1930s. The family had originally immigrated from Ireland in the 1840s, during the potato famine. After living for a few years in Boston they had moved up the coast to Maine where there were fishing jobs and room to grow. 

Now, over 175 years later, the family was as much of a staple on the island as the mountains and lighthouse. Will hadn’t been the first in the family to leave or to come back, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last. 

“Mornin’ Miss Betty,” Will offered his charming smile to Betty Wright, a woman he had known for as long as he could remember, “Get you some more coffee?”

“That would be lovely,” She returned his smile and then stage whispered, “There are an awful lot of tourists for this late in the season, did you notice.”

“It’s kind of hard not to,” Will topped her coffee off and made his way to the next table. It was a pretty typical day for them, busy rushes of happy and tired tourists and the locals who both wished people would leave their little town alone, but also knew that the tourists were what kept the town going. 

At 9 that night, long after Kelly had gone home to her husband and kids, long after the morning shift had turned to lunch, had turned to dinner, Will let out a sigh and locked the door, glad that tomorrow was his day off. 

The roads to his coastal cottage were familiar. It wasn’t the house where he had grown up, Kelly and her family had moved in there after mom and dad had died, but it had the familiarity of his childhood home. 

While he had been living in Boston he had managed to sock away a good chunk of money, enough that he had bought his little three bedroom cottage for cash and had put another ten thousand into it in renovations. He was always tinkering with something, fixing the heating system so it was more effective, waterproofing the basement, repainting the living room, but it was home. 

It was dark when he pulled into his driveway, but the cottage about 100 feet away from his was lit up with a warm glow. This wasn’t unusual, the cottage was a rental with a revolving door of tourists staying there. Will barely noticed the tourists anymore, they were usually off doing the touristy things like hiking and whale watching. 

“Hi Horton,” Will said as his cat wound his way through his ankles, almost tripping him at least three times, “Did you miss me?”

Horton meowed in reply and Will smiled. Horton had been with him since Boston and seemed to love the freedom and space they had now. Plus, even if Will was working long days now, they were nothing compared to his time in corporate accounting. He scratched Horton behind the ears and then promptly locked him out of the bathroom so he could shower. 

Less than an hour later, Will was sprawled out on his giant king sized bed with Horton curled up on the pillow next to his head, Parks and Rec on in the background as he drifted off to sleep. 

As usual for this time of year, Dex woke to the sound of gulls and waves. He rolled over and saw that Horton was also awake and staring out the window, probably dreaming of all the ways he could kill the birds. Some mornings Will was right there with him on that feeling, but today he was just happy. The soft yellow-gray light of dawn crept through his curtains as he stretched and made his way to the kitchen.

He’d deny it until his dying day, but William Poindexter was a coffee snob. It had started in college and only gotten worse when he had access to craft coffee in the city. He started every morning with a pourover and on his days off he sat on his back porch and watched the waves roll in, usually while he read the news. 

He grabbed his iPad and made his way to his usual spot. Horton followed him out to  _ his _ spot. When they had first moved Will had been hesitant to let Horton outside, but after his fourth jailbreak and return he decided it was just easier to let him come and go. 

Will pulled up his New York Times app and started skimming through the news that he had missed the day before. He was midway through a piece on the wage gap when someone said, “Morning neighbor.”

In all of his time living here, so roughly two years, none of the tourists had said hello to him this early in the day. In fact, if they said anything at all to him they were asking for recommendations on where to eat and on one disturbing occasion, asking if he had wanted to join the couple in a little late night fun. 

“Morning?” Will set his iPad down on the table and looked at the man who was walking up the path from the beach. He had on a knit sweater and soft looking sweatpants, an odd combination but Dex was wearing a pair of threadbear Samwell sweats so he couldn’t really judge anyone else’s look. 

The guy smiled and it was almost painfully beautiful, “I’m Derek, I just moved in next door for the next few months.”

“Will,” He extended his hand to the attractive stranger and he shook it. His hands were callused like he had known many hard days' work and his eyes were kind and green. 

“Pleasure to meet you Will,” Derek looked at Horton, who was eyeing him carefully, “Who’s this?”

“Oh, that’s Horton, watch out, he’s kind of an asshole to strangers,” Will said kind of awkwardly. He wasn’t used to talking to people he didn't know outside of the comfort of the diner. 

Derek laughed and held his hand out for Horton to inspect. Once Horton had deemed him acceptable he leaned his head into Derek’s hand, “So I hate to be that neighbor, but I got in after the store closed last night and I’m useless without coffee. Could I bother you for a cup so I can turn into a functioning human?”

Will looked into his now empty cup, then looked back at Derek. This was by far the strangest morning off he’d had since he left Boston, “Sure come on in.”

Derek gave him another one of those smiles and Will felt like he might swoon like some Victorian woman. “Nice place,” Derek commented, his eyes skirting around the room. 

Without permission, Will’s ears burned. He had put a lot of work into the house and was proud of how far along it had come since he bought it, “Thanks. You can take a look around if you want, I have to boil water for the coffee.”

He set the kettle on the stove and ground the beans before pulling out his French press; it was easier to make multiple cups in the press and he needed something to do with his hands. Derek walked around the living room, looking at the pictures on the wall, they ranged from family photos from other the years to cliche pictures of the coast the had hung in his Boston apartment. 

“You look a lot like them,” Derek said, gesturing to the picture of Will and his three siblings, “That’s a lot of red hair.”

Will laughed, “We’re Irish.”

“I couldn’t tell,” Derek walked back into the kitchen as Will poured the water into the glass container to steep, “Smells good.”

“Coffee is very important,” Will said seriously, “So what brings you to Bar Harbor? It isn’t often we get long term tourists this late in the season.”

“I wouldn’t call myself a tourist,” Derek smiled again, this one was a quieter kind of smile, private. 

Grabbing a mug for Derek out of the cupboard Will pressed the coffee down and poured it for them, “Well, what would you call yourself then?”

“I’m an observer,” Derek said after a long pause.

“Milk and sugar?” Will asked, looking at the way Derek eyed the black coffee warily.

“Please.”

There it was, Derek’s flaw. He ruined perfectly good coffee with milk and sugar. Will got out the milk, hoping it hadn’t turned, and pushed the sugar bowl to Derek who added two,  _ two _ , spoonfuls before splashing a little milk into his cup. 

“You drink it black,” Derek asked, following Will out to the porch and sitting in Horton’s usual seat. “You’re probably the type to judge people who put something in their coffee.”

“Am not,” Will said, sounding just as childish as he felt, but Derek just laughed. 

They drank their coffee in silence, the sound of the waves and birds the soundtrack to their morning. It was almost like Dex was alone until Derek asked, “So where’s the best place to get groceries around here?”

“You’re just here to use me aren’t you?” Will deadpanned, fighting back a smile, “First my coffee, now my knowledge of the town. I feel dirty now.”

For a second Derek looked worried, but then he laughed, “You caught me.”

“As long as you’re being honest with me,” Will said with a smile, “There’s the market in town, but a lot of us locals head to the mainland and buy stuff in bulk at Costco or Walmart then shop at Flenderson’s for our weekly needs.”

“Sounds like you have a system in place,” Derek mused, sipping his coffee, “Well I’ll stop interrupting your morning, I’m sure you have stuff you need to do.”

Not wanting to admit that his big plans for the day were going on a run and then calling an old teammate to talk him through fixing his oven, he said, “It’s fine, we’re friendly folks up here in Bar Harbor.”

“We’ll see about that,” Derek stood up, “So far you’ve rolled your eyes at me twice and almost glared me off your porch, but you made me coffee and let me into your house. At best you’re not a murderer.”

Will snorted, “Yet.”

“Yet,” Derek agreed and then stuck his hand out. Will shook it, holding on for maybe a moment too long. Then Derek was walking back to his rental cottage, “Thanks again Will.”

“No problem,” He called back. Once Derek was safely inside his house Will let his head thunk onto the table. That probably could have gone better, but at least Horton hadn’t tried to bite him. 

The rest of his day passed like normal. He went on his run through town, he got stopped by Mrs. Henderson and ogled by a few tourists. He was man enough to admit that he was in good shape, four years of division one hockey had helped sculpt him and develop a routine. He stopped by the diner for a quick lunch and to make sure they were good, ran to Flenderson’s for some more milk and eggs and then jogged home. 

Eric Bittle, his college teammate, Skyped him promptly at 2, “Dex I am so sorry to ask for your help again.”

“It’s really no problem,” Dex said, “You said that only half the oven is lighting up?”

“Yeah,” Bitty said sadly, “And the warranty  _ just _ expired.”

“Try adjusting the coils and making sure they're connected,” Will advised, “If that doesn’t work I’ll come down on Monday and fix it,” Dex said, he should probably get down to visit anyways, “Jack has a game that night right? We can turn it into a thing, invite Ransom and Holster, see if Shitty and Lardo can get a sitter that night.”

“Oh Dex you sweetheart,” Bitty smiled and Dex knew that he was going to be down in Providence on Monday. He was glad that tourist season was nearing an end so that he could do this kind of thing for his friends, but it had been easier when he was living in Boston. 

“Will you be able to make it five whole days without your dear oven?” Will asked, only half joking.

Bitty let out a sign, “I’ll manage; I’m just glad that mama isn’t coming for another two weeks. She’d lose her mind if we didn’t have an oven.”

There was a knock at his door and Will said, “I gotta run, someone’s here.”

“William Poindexter, do you have a  _ caller _ ?” Bitty asked and Dex almost slammed his laptop shut, “Are you  _ blushin’ _ ”

“No,” Will said, “I’m hanging up on you.”

“I’m textin’ the group William,” Bitty sing-songed, “Shitty will get you to break.”

“Goodbye Eric,” Will ended the call and ran a hand through his hair. 

He hadn’t had time to shower before Bitty called so he was still wearing his running shorts and cut off sweatshirt. It was Shitty’s, he’d left it behind the last time he was in town and Dex hadn’t bothered to return it yet.

Will opened the front door to find Derek standing on his porch with a smile on his face, “Sorry to bother you again.”

“What’s up?” Will willed himself to remain natural, but he wanted to cover himself up or hide.

“So Google mislead me and I was wondering if you could help me,” Derek leaned against the doorframe looking like he had just walked off the pages of some magazine with his beanie and a different knit sweater. 

Will stepped back and Derek walked inside, “Maybe, depends on what you need help with.”

“According to the website the tourism center and historical society are located on Bryan Road, but Google Maps doesn’t have a Bryan Road,” Derek explained, sitting in the armchair that Horton usually occupied. 

Will laughed, “The town changed the name from Bryan to South Street almost ten years ago, but we all still call it Bryan.”

“Well they should update the website,” Derek said, but he didn’t sound upset, just amused. He stood up to leave.

“They close at 3:30 on Wednesday’s,” Will said with what he hoped was an apologetic look, “Small town, weird hours.”

Again, Derek didn’t look upset, just amused. Everything he did made Will more curious about him, “I’ll try again tomorrow then.”

“Looking for anything in particular?” Will asked.

“Nope,” Derek said, “Thanks for the help Will. Sorry for interrupting your day again.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Will said, running a hand through his hair and then he blurted out, “I’m not usually here.”

“Yeah?”

“I work a lot, you caught me on my day off,” Will told him, not sure what he was doing with his life, well besides making a fool of himself. 

“I’m glad I did,” Derek offered him another one of those small, private smiles, and Will thought he might melt, “I’ll see you around.”

Derek walked out the door and Will scrubbed his hand across his face. He was really bad at this, whatever this was. 

\--------

Will was  _ late _ . He had got caught up talking to 75 year old Mildred Flenderson about the handsome new guy in town. And did Will know that he wasn’t a tourist, he’s a  _ writer _ who’s here to finish his novel. And wait, William had you heard that he was  _ single _ . 

But even though he was late, he’d stood in the shower for almost twenty minutes before getting out and getting dressed to head over to Erin’s house for their weekly Friday night dinner. He pulled on an old Samwell sweatshirt and jeans before going to get in his car. 

Before he got in he veered off the path and knocked on Derek’s door. If he was going to embarrass himself everytime he ran into this guy, he was going to go all the way. Derek opened the door and smiled when he saw Will, “We have to stop meeting like this.”

“Do you have plans tonight?” Will asked, ignoring the line and fighting an eyeroll, hoping this wasn’t a huge mistake.

“I’m free as a bird William,” Derek said and Will did roll his eyes at that, “Why, you want to take me out?”

“Friday night is dinner and a movie with my sister. She usually has a friend or two join us and I figured I could bring one for once,” Will said, then kicked himself for sounding pathetic.

Derek laughed, “So you’re using me to get your sister to think you’re cool, I see how it is.”

“She knows I’m not cool,” Will said before adding, “She was there through the acne and braces in high school.”

“Ah yeah, that’s fair,” Derek said, slipping on shoes and grabbing his keys, “My sister still makes fun of me for my mohawk and earing phase.”

Will pictured Derek with a mohawk and earring and laughed, “I think that merits teasing, at least my stuff wasn’t my fault.”

“Yeah whatever,” Derek said, bumping his shoulder into Will’s, then asked, “Did you go to Samwell?”

“I did, have you heard of it?” Will asked, a little surprised. Most people hadn't heard of Samwell unless they went there or played NCAA hockey. 

“Your hockey team  _ flattened _ us my freshman year,” Derek said with a fond smile, “Jack Zimmerman got by me twice, but I got a nice hit on him in the third.”

“Where did you go?” Will asked, keeping his voice as level as possible.

“Yale,” Derek said almost sheepishly, like he didn’t want to brag.

“Oh yeah we did kill you guys that year,” Will grinned, “And the year after that, and the year after that.”

“You played too?” Derek asked, his voice sounding excited for the first time that day. 

“Yep, defense,” Will grinned and Derek slapped his arm.

“Is your last name Poindexter?” Derek asked and Will’s stomach dropped. It was almost never good when someone knew who he was.

“Yes?”

“You lived with my best friend Chris!” 

“You know Chowder? How do you know Chowder?”

“Uh,” Derek faltered for the first time in their three days of awkward interactions. Well, Will had been awkwa rd, Derek had been charming, “He’s my editor actually. He’s the one who suggested I go somewhere to get away for awhile so I could finish, uh, finish my book.”

“So you’re a writer, I hadn’t heard that fifty times in the last three days,” Will said with a grin. At the corner stop sign he chanced a glance at Derek who was looking slightly dumbfounded, “It’s a small town, you tell one person and everyone hears about it.”

“This is all kind of new to me,” Derek said with a half smile, “I grew up in New York City, the closest to ‘small town life’ I’ve been to is summering in the Hamptons. Please don’t judge me. I’ve spent years judging me.”

“Too late,” Will said, turning onto Erin’s street, “You’ve been judged. Growing up in New York City when I’m clearly a Boston fan.”

“Oh we might have a huge problem here then,” Derek looked at Will very seriously, “Because I  _ hate _ the Bruins.”

“We’re cool on that one,” Will said, “You don’t play with Jack Zimmermann and not convert to a Falconers fan. But I bet you good money that the Sox will take down the Yankees next season.”

“You’re going to lose money,” Derek said as Will parked the car in Erin’s driveway and got out, “So much money. All the money.”

“Why’s Will losing money?” Erin asked from the front porch, “And who’s this Will? Is this the guy that Mrs. Flenderson was talking about?”

“Derek Nurse,” Derek said, sticking his hand out to Erin and smiling, “I’m living next door to Will here and he invited me over. I hope that’s okay.”

“Well of course it is,” Erin said, “I’m Erin, my partner Riley has dinner all set, I’ll go let her know we need another place setting. Oh and Willy, we’re playing Cards Against Humanity tonight. I’m  _ so _ glad you brought a friend along.”

This was going to be a disaster. 

It was not, in fact, a disaster, it was actually a lot of fun. It had started a little uncomfortable, but once Erin had asked Derek more questions than Will had even thought of and he had answered them all in stride things settled in. 

“How did you not pick ‘Bees?’,” Derek leaned back on the couch so his shoulder bumped Will’s. He took a sip of his beer, “It’s clearly the superior card.”

“Harry Potter and the Chamber of dead parents was too good to pass up,” Erin laughed, wiping her eyes, “Honestly Will, that was pure gold.”

“You killed my favorite card,” Derek said into Will’s ear, sending a jolt down his spine. He stood up, “Bathroom?”

“Last door on the right,” Riley pointed down the hallway and Derek disappeared. 

“I  _ like _ him,” Erin whispered, her eyes bright, “Will, you found a good one.”

Will let out a sigh, “I didn’t find him, he showed up on my porch one morning before he didn’t have coffee. I don’t even know if he’s into dudes.”

“He’s certainly into you,” Riley rested her hand on Erin’s knee, “And he’s so smart and funny. He teases you like you’re already married.”

“Oh for the love of god please stop,” Will put his head in his hands, “He’s right down the hall.”

“I’m just saying,” Erin smiled, “This seems a little like fate.”

“No, it  _ seems _ like Chowder is trying to set us up,” Will said and then added, “I need a drink.”

“You’re driving,” Riley said with a shit eating grin, “No more beers for you.”

“We can roll out if you’re ready,” Derek said, appearing in the doorway, “If you want to have a drink at home.”

“Yeah, get out of here,” Erin started to put the cards away, “It’s getting late and I have a meet to coach tomorrow.”

Derek accepted the hug that Riley and Erin offered him, “Thank you so much for letting me crash your game night. It’s been nice getting out of the house and now maybe I’ll actually be able to get some work done.”

Will laughed, “I don’t think I’ve seen you work at all since you got here.”

“I’ve tried?” Derek offered but he was smiling, “Okay, so maybe I haven’t, but I will now.”

“Then let’s get you back,” Will said, hugging Erin and Riley goodbye and walking back to the car, “Sorry about them, they can be a little much.”

“What? No they were great,” Derek was smiling, “I really am feeling inspired.”

“Are you going to write about a couple Irish Catholic small town siblings who both ended up queer and somehow still in their hometown?” Will asked with a laugh, stopping to let a deer cross the road, “Fucking deer.”

Derek was quiet for a moment and Will wondered if he’d gone a little too far, but then he asked, “So was it two of the four siblings that ended up queer? I’m wondering for science.”

“Yep, our parents were batting 500 on the queer kids front,” Will pulled the car into the driveway, “They were surprisingly cool about Erin, but I never got the chance to tell them, but I have a feeling they’d have been cool with that too.”

“Want to come in for a drink?” Derek asked, hovering outside the car for a moment “It’s about time I offered you something.”

“Sure,”  Will said, pocketing his keys and following Derek up the front steps.

“I’m sorry about your parents by the way,” Derek flipped the lights on and walked into the living room. It was decorated like a vacation cottage, which Will reminded himself it was. “How long ago did they pass?”

“Uh, it’ll be two years next month actually,” Will said, not really wanting to talk about it, “It’s alright. Tell me about your book.”

“Do I have to?” Derek offered him a beer and sat down on the couch, “I get enough of it from Chris and the rest of my publishing house.”

“I mean, I could just call Chow and ask.” Will took a sip and then put on his best imitation of Chris’s voice, “Well, Derek’s book is coming along just fine. I mean I haven’t seen any of it, but it’s great. I know it.”

Derek snorted, “Ow fuck, beer in the nose.”

“Very eloquent Mr. Ivy League,” Will smirked and Derek threw a pillow at him, “Oh no a pillow.”

“So Chris knows you live up here right?” 

“Yep, he helped me move when I moved up from Boston a couple years back,” Will said with a huff, “He’s probably trying to force friendship onto his lonely former teammate and his suffering artist of a client.”

“That sounds like Chris,” Derek sipped his beer, “We can never tell him it worked.”

“Oh god no, he’d be so happy about it,” Will rested his head against the wall behind the couch and looked over at Derek, “Can you picture his stupid, happy smile.”

“I hate it already,” Derek faked a shudder and then they were both laughing. It felt like the empty part of his heart, the part that Will hadn’t realized was empty until suddenly it had something in it, was full. It was like the first time he had come home from college and woke up to the sound of waves on the rocks and gulls outside his window, it felt like home. 

Will took another sip of his beer and smiled, “I guess we’ll just never, ever tell him we met.”

“In fact, I think it’s best if you move back to Boston while I finish my book,” Derek said and Will laughed again.

They drank their beers in a comfortable quiet for a few minutes, “I guess I should head home. I have to work pretty early tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I need to be up and actually writing tomorrow too, I owe Chris at least a few pages,” Derek said, running a hand through his hair and walking Will to the door, “Thanks for hanging out with me tonight man, it’s nice having a friendly face that I actually want to talk to in town.”

“Anytime,” Will said, meaning it more than he had ever meant anything in his life, “Seriously.”

“I’ll take you up on that until you change your mind then,” Derek hugged him quickly and Will held in a sigh, “Goodnight Poindexter.”

“Night Nurse,” Will said before walking back to his house.

“Hi Horton,” Will reached down to scratch Horton behind the ears, as the cat wound around his ankles like he always did when Will walked into the house, “You're my favorite little shit.”

Horton meowed and walked away, leaving Will with his thoughts. How had he only met Derek three days ago? He’d been the only stupid thing that Will could think about. Yesterday morning he’d brought his own cup of coffee and sat on Will’s porch with him while Will drank his before work. 

“What the fuck is wrong with me,” Will muttered into the mirror, splashing water on his face, “You’re an idiot, Dex.”

Horton meowed at him from the doorway, a sound that Will took as confirmation that he was in fact an idiot. 

“Thanks,” Will muttered, tugging his shirt off and shucking his pants. He didn’t even bother turning on his TV, he was exhausted and had a long day ahead of him tomorrow. Saturdays were always busy, no matter the season. Usually he left Erin’s and went straight to bed, but he wasn’t going to say no to more time with Derek. 

He was so fucked, and not in the good way. 

\-------

Kelly opened the diner on Saturday mornings which meant that Will didn’t have to be in until 8. That being said, he still woke up at dawn to run and drink his coffee, but for the first time since Derek had moved in next door, he didn’t come over to join Will. He tried to not be disappointed about it. He had probably scared him off the night before. 

“Morning Will,” Patrick called from his seat at the counter.

“I didn’t know you were in town this weekend,” Will went over and hugged his brother quickly before he walked around the counter and started checking to see what they needed done.

“Yeah well, I heard that there’s some interesting stuff going on so here I am,” Pat said with a smirk and Will turned around to see Kelly grinning at him, “It’s not every day a new guy moves to town and our little brother takes an interest in him.”

“Fuck you and you,” Will said, “I have work to do.”

“We’re actually okay right now, boss,” One of the waiters said and he threw his hands up in the air.

“Everyone is against me, the entire world is,” Will muttered, refilling Pat’s coffee cup. Pat lives a couple hours away in Portland with his girlfriend. He tried to get home as often as he could, which was actually pretty often for an up and coming lawyer.

The bell over the door dinged and Will turned away from Pat to see Derek walking in, beanie on his head and knit sweater pulled tight across his arms and chest. 

“Welcome to Desert Mountain Diner,” Kelly said, throwing an evil grin over her shoulder to Will, “Sit wherever you like.”

Derek smiled his charming smile at Kelly and sat directly in front of where Will was standing, “Fancy seeing you here Mr. Poindexter.”

“Morning,” Will said, offering Derek a small smile. “Get you started with something to drink?”

“Well I would love a cup of coffee, my usual coffee buddy was already gone this morning so I had to drink it alone,” Derek accepted the coffee that Will poured and put cream and sugar in it. Will was less judgy about that because the coffee at the diner wasn't great. 

“I’m sure your coffee buddy is sorry,” Will smiled, ignoring both Pat’s and Kelly’s looks.

Derek grinned and Will’s ears burned red. He knew he was going to get teased relentlessly about it as soon as Derek left. “He doesn’t seem that sorry. He also seems to have forgotten to mention that he runs the diner in town.”

“Did I not mention that?” Will asked, genuinely surprised that he hadn’t. It was just common knowledge that the Poindexter family owned the Desert Mountain Diner, he didn’t usually have to tell anyone. 

“Nope, but it makes so much sense now. Mrs. Flenderson kept telling me that I just  _ had _ to come check it out,” Derek said, not looking at the menu that Will placed in front of him, “So here I am and I’m not disappointed with what I see.”

“You haven’t tried anything yet,” Will said dumbly.

“I’d certainly like to,” Derek looked at the menu, finally breaking eye contact and letting Will live, “I’ll get Billy’s Breakfast.”

“How do you want your eggs?”

“Over easy and wheat toast please,” Derek handed his menu back, “Is Billy you?”

“Yeah,” Will said shaking his head, “Back in high school mom and dad joked that I could eat them out of diner and home, then added that to the menu. We haven’t changed the name since.”

“I’m going to call you Billy from now on,” Derek said, pulling out his laptop and setting it on the counter. He fit in here, among the locals, in a way that Will hadn’t expected. It was like he belonged in this space.

“Please no, if you’re going to call me any of my unfortunate nicknames of the past just call me Dex,” Will hung the ticket up in the window for Kelly to cook and turned back to Derek who was grinning even wider now.

“My hockey nickname was Nursey. We aren’t the most creative bunch.”

“Says the author,” Will chirped and Derek tilted his head to the side as if to say ‘fair point’. Will smiled despite himself, then said, “I need to…”

“Go work, Dex,” Derek winked.

“Nope, it sounds wrong when you say it,” Will walked away from the counter, ignoring Derek’s laughter.

By the time he made his way back over the Derek’s spot at the counter Kelly was standing in front of him and chatting while he ate, “So then I tell him, Billy, you can’t walk your pet goldfish.”

“I didn’t want to walk Goldie,” Will refilled Derek’s coffee, “I wanted him to come to my peewee hockey game.”

“That’s even better,” Derek laughed, his eyes bright. 

“Leave me alone, I just really liked my fish,” Will laughed too though and Kelly kicked him gently on the shin, “How is everything?”

“Mrs. Flenderson was right on all accounts,” Derek took a bite of his turkey sausage link, “The food is great, the service is better, and that boy who works there is  _ dreamy _ .”

“Oh my god,” Kelly choked on her water as she laughed and Will slapped her on the back a couple times, “Mrs. Flenderson is playing matchmaker again.”

“Again?” Derek asked and Will wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out again.

“Oh yeah, she’s the one who set me up with my husband Matt, and set Erin up with Riley. I’d say half the town has Mrs. Flenderson to thank for their relationships.”

“Is that so,” Derek scratched his stubble, “Well she seems to have really great taste from what I’ve seen.”

Before Will could say anything a family of five walked in. He gave Derek an apologetic look before he went over to greet them. Their midshift server would be in soon, but until then he had to run the floor which didn’t give him much time for socializing. 

By the time he got back over to Derek, he had cashed out with Kelly and was packing up his laptop, “Hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Mr. Poindexter.”

“I’m sure you will,” Will said, squeezing Derek’s shoulder as he walked by, “Have fun writing. I’ll be sure to let Chow know you actually did some work today.”

“You’re too kind,” Derek grinned before he walked out of the diner, taking most of Will’s breath with him. 

“You like him,” Kelly said knowingly.

“Shut up,” Will grumbled, flipping Pat off from where he was making kissy faces. 

“Mature,” Pat called across the room and Will sighed. This was his life, these were his choices. 

\-----

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Will asked on Sunday morning before Derek had even made it up the porch, his coffee steaming in the cool morning air. 

“Definitely writing and not procrastinating,” Derek sat down in what was quickly becoming his chair, Horton hopped onto his lap, purring loudly. 

Will snorted, “So you don’t want to head down to Providence for a Falconers game?”

“Oh no, I definitely want to do that,” Derek scratched Horton’s chin, “What time are we leaving?”

“Ten-ish,” Will took a sip of his coffee, “I have to open the diner, but once Kelly gets in I’m out of there. We’ll get back Tuesday afternoon as long as Bitty doesn’t feed us into a coma.”

“Bitty as in Eric Bittle of the Food Network?”

“The very same,” Will said, “He needs me to fix his oven.”

“Can’t he just call a handyman?”

“He doesn’t trust them,” Will smiled fondly, “Not since the last one told him that they needed a new oven and I fixed it with a fifty dollar part.”

“You’re handy and you make good coffee, what can’t you do William?” Derek laughed, “I mean besides control your cat.”

“Horton does what he wants,” Will admitted, letting the cat walk across the table and jump into his lap, “So, you’ll come? I should warn you my friends are…. A little much.”

“The best ones are,” Derek said, taking a sip of his coffee and making a face because it was still too hot, “Well I suppose I should head back and get some writing done since I won’t get much done tomorrow.”

Will waved as Derek walked the short distance back to his house. Horton watched him walk away and then when he was sure he wasn’t coming back hopped back into his seat, “Yeah it’s still your seat you brat.”

\------

“It’s cool that you’re still so close with your old teammates,” Derek said as Will pulled onto the interstate. He was more nervous that he had expected, it wasn’t like this trip mattered, it was just another Falcs game. 

Except all that was a lie. 

“Yeah, they’re great,” Will chanced a glance at Derek, “Just a warning though, when we get together we all kind of… revert back to our college selves.”

“Are you telling me that you weren’t this charming and adorable in college?” Derek tapped his nose and laughed, “I get it, my teammates and I are the same way. The first time one of them saw me freaking out over a deadline he was shocked.”

“Did you not get stressed in college?” 

“Oh god no I did, but I was ‘totally chill bro’,” Derek explained, “The worlds biggest lie if I’m being honest, I was so high strung but I didn’t want anyone else to know that I was freaking out.”

“I was just high strung,” Will laughed, “Always fixing something or at the gym, I just didn’t want to let anyone down.”

“I bet you didn’t,” Derek said with a warm smile, “You were captain your senior year, Chris talks about how great you are all the time.”

“He  _ doesn’t _ ,” Will groaned changing lanes and trying to telepathically beat Chowder up. 

“Oh but he does,” Derek took a sip of his coffee and grinned, “All the time. I hear about Dex more than I hear about any other teammate. He’s so proud of his d-man.”

Will sighed, but didn’t justify Derek’s chirping with a reply. Instead, he turned up the radio and then almost jumped out of the car when Derek started singing along, his voice soft and sweet. Was he good at everything?

The five hours drive passed quicker than usual with Derek in the car. They debated different hockey teams chances for the Cup, they talked about college, about their families, about everything under the sun, and then they were pulling up to Jack and Bitty’s house.

Derek let out a low whistle, “This is a nice place here.”

“Please tell Bitty that,” Will said, pulling into the driveway, “This place is his baby. Jack gave him full design power after he suggested a poster as decor and Eric almost exploded.”

“I’ve only seen Eric’s TV show and I’m 0% surprised by that,” Derek laughed, getting out of the car, “And seeing Jack’s interviews makes me think that he would also 100% suggest a poster as decor.”

“I think Bitty’s exact words were, ‘Oh my sweet lord Jack Zimmerman, have a standard, just one.”

Before either of them could say anything else the front door opened and Eric Bittle walked outside looking like he had stepped off the pages of LL Bean with his cuffed khakis, fitted button down, vest, and loafers. He was the picture of fall in New England.

“Dex!” Bitty hugged him and turned to Derek, “And  _ you _ must be Derek Nurse, I’ve heard all about you.”

“What has Dex here been telling you? All terrible things I’m sure,” Derek said, shaking Eric’s hand.

“Oh Dex wouldn’t tell me a thing, so I called Chowder.”

“Of course,” Derek smiled, allowing himself to be guided into the house. Will grabbed their bags and his toolbox out of the trunk before following them inside. 

He could hear Bitty giving Derek the grand tour and Will didn’t think he could deal with Eric dropping hints every couple minutes about how cute he and Derek would be, how great it is to have them here together, how he’d just  _ love _ to make another wedding cake. 

Instead he went straight to the kitchen and pulled the oven out so he could check out the wiring in the back. It was a newer oven, a gift from Jack’s parents when they moved into this house and Dex hadn’t had the chance to fix it yet. 

It didn’t take him long, it was just a loose wire. He didn’t want to think about just how that wire had gotten knocked loose, probably something sexual and gross and he didn’t need that image in his head. 

By the time he had finished the oven, put it back in place, and grabbed a beer, Eric was wrapping the tour up, “And this is the best room in the house.”

“I’ve seen it on TV,” Derek followed behind, grinning at Will as he entered the room, “It’s bigger than I was expecting.”

“Dex, is Millie fixed?” Eric looked at the oven adoringly and Will bit back a laugh, “What would I do without you?”

“Call Maytag?” Will chirped, falling back into his comfortable college persona.

“No pie for you William.”

“That’s fine, I can’t keep it off like I used to,” Will grinned, “When does everyone else get in?”

“Shitty and Lardo are meeting us at the game, Rands and Holster will be here in the next hour, Ollie can’t make it, and Chowder still isn’t sure if he can either.” Bitty pulled a pie out of the fridge, “You’ll eat, right Derek?”

“I’d never turn down pie from Eric Bittle,” Derek said, winking at Will when Bitty turned to face Will and give him a ‘see, that’s how you should treat me’ look.

Two hours later found them sitting in the living room with Ransom and Holster, all sharing stories about living together in the Haus. 

“Dex was always Mr. Fix-it,” Rands explained, “All this stuff we didn’t even realize was broken was magically fixed when he joined the team. To this day I expect my leaky faucet to fix itself because he was so good.”

“Shoot, speaking of leaky,” Eric said, giving Dex is best puppy eyes. “The kitchen sink has been leakin’ every so often.”

“I’ll fix it,” Will got up and made his way to the kitchen again. He’d left his toolbox on the counter because he assumed that there was something Eric had forgotten to mention. 

He lay on the floor and looked under the sink after running the water, he could see where it was leaking from and hoped it was just a pipe that got knocked when something was getting moved. 

“So I guess you really are Mr. Fix-it,” Derek said from somewhere above him. Will didn’t say anything, just flipped off the general area he assumed he was standing in and went back to tightening the pipes, “This kind of feels like to start to a porno. Oh Mr. Poindexter will you check out my pipe.”

Will couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. He finished the pipe and scooted out from under the sink, pulling his shirt down from where it had ridden up, “I would Mr. Nurse, but won’t your husband mind?”

Derek grinned and Will thought he might do anything to see that smile all the time. It felt like he’d known Derek for more than just a week, like he’d known him for a lifetime. 

“There’s something really attractive about a man who can fix stuff,” Derek offered Will a hand and he accepted it, pulling himself to his feet. Derek didn’t let go once Will was standing. 

“Like Sam from Holes,” Will agreed.

“I can be the Kissin’ Kate to your Sam,” Derek took his free hand and brought it up to Will’s cheek.

“I can fix that,” Will said in his best impression of the movie, it wasn’t great, but Derek didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to like it. 

The ghost of his laugh was warm on Will’s mouth, reminding him how close they were standing. He wasn’t sure who moved first, maybe they both had, but the next thing Will knew, they were kissing. 

He had kissed his fair share of people in his lifetime, but this one felt like something special. It was like it had been building from the moment Derek had walked onto his porch asking for coffee. It took the breath out of him like a team pile on the ice after a win. It was every happy moment he’d felt in the last two years times ten.

Derek’s lips were soft and warm against his and when they pulled back Derek’s eyes were still closed, his mouth pulling into a smile. 

Will knew who moved first for the second kiss, he missed the soft smile on Derek’s face. This time Derek parted his lips and he tasted like apple pie and the IPA he had been drinking. Will’s back bumped up against the counter and he brought his hands to Derek’s waist. 

They might have been in there for a minute, it might have been an hour; all Will wanted to do for the rest of his life was kiss Derek. Time turned into just a concept when Derek was around, it was hard to focus on anything as silly and insubstantial as time when he has something as solid as Derek in his arms. 

“Oh my god,” Chris Chow’’s voice burst into Will’s ears and ruined the illusion that time wasn’t real, “OH MY GOD.”

“It’s not what it looks like?” Will tried and Derek laughed, his forehead on Will’s shoulder.

“It’s  _ exactly _ what it looks like,” Derek looked up at Chris with a smile, “And I’m pretty sure it’s exactly what you wanted to happen.”

“Well I mean, yeah,” Chris smiled running around the island to hug them both, “I just didn’t think it would happen so fast, Dex is a stubborn ass and you’re a hipster ass.”

“And you wanted us to hook up? What made you think that was a good idea?” Will asked, but he was smiling so big his face hurt. His hands were still on Derek’s waist, he didn’t ever want to move them, Derek was sturdy and warm. 

“If anyone could handle your stubbornness, it’s Derek,” Chris explained, getting a beer out of the fridge, “And if anyone could keep Derek in check, it’s you.”

“What’d we miss?” Adam asked, poking his head into the kitchen, his glasses slipping down his nose.

“They were kissing,” Chris smirked, not even pretending like he wasn’t proud of himself, “I told you that they’d be good together.”

“We might be awful together,” Will muttered and Derek squeezed his neck, “We don’t know!”

“I’m taking all the credit,” Chris walked out of the kitchen, the asshole. 

“So who won the bet then?” Justin asked and Will dropped his head to Derek’s neck, “Was it Jack?”

Derek gently lifted Will’s face between his hands and kissed him again. For a second all thoughts left Will’s head, it was just this, no annoying friends in the next room. Then they broke apart and this time the world didn’t come rushing back so quickly. 

“We could be great together,” Derek whispered, kissing Will’s cheek, his jaw, his neck. 

“I live in Maine.”

“Funny, so do I.”

“I live there all the time,” Will said, feeling a pit in his stomach. 

“I’m a writer, I can live anywhere,” Derek said, taking Will’s hand in his, “And we’ve got months to figure it out. Just  _ chill _ .”

Will laughed and the pit in his stomach felt lighter. If he had been 18 or 19 or 20 he might have hated the way that Derek said chill, but he wasn’t. He was older and he knew that Derek wasn’t as chill as he let on. He knew that this meant as much to Derek as it did to him. 

That night when they got back to Jack and Bitty’s, happy from the Falcs win and maybe a couple more beers, Derek and Will found themselves in one of the guest rooms after a quick “Hope you don’t mind sharing,” and a wink from Eric. 

“Don’t make it weird, we’re both adults,” Derek tugged his pants off and tossed them on the floor, then pulled his new Falconers jersey over his head, “Come on  _ Dex _ .” 

Will rolled his eyes, but undressed, feeling less self conscious than he thought he would. He crawled under the covers and rolled to face Derek, the moon casting a shadow over his face through the curtain. 

“This is what you want, right?” Derek asked, putting his hand on Will’s hip and scooting a little closer so his knees bumped up against Will’s, “If you don’t, it’s okay. I’ll be really sad and angsty, but it’ll add to my loner writer aesthetic.”

Will laughed, “I wouldn’t want you to be all mopey nextdoor.”

Derek grinned and gently kissed Will on the lips, “Good, because I like you more than I expected to, and after the first time I met you I thought I’d like you a lot.”

“Me too,” Will admitted, kissing Derek again, “We should go to bed though.”

Derek sighed softly, “We should.”

They did not go to bed. They spent the next two hours talking, kissing, saying they should go to bed, and then kissing more. Finally, at 2 am Will drifted off mid sentence and Derek let out a quiet laugh before he wrapped an arm around Will’s middle, kissed his neck, and went to sleep himself. 

\----

“How was your lover’s day trip,” Kelly asked when Will walked into work on Tuesday evening to do payroll. Mrs. Flenderson and Mrs. Wright both looked up from their soup and exchanged smiles, “Did you profess your feelings?”

“Leave me alone,” Will bit back a smile as he walked passed her and into the office, “I’m busy.”

“Oh come on please tell me,” Kelly followed him and Will closed the door in her face before pulling out his phone and shooting Derek a text that the whole town would assume they were together now because Mrs. Flenderson and Mrs. Wright had the biggest mouths around. 

Two hours later Will slipped out of the diner without Kelly noticing, stopped for a pizza, and headed home. Derek sat at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee untouched in front of him and his laptop open, fingers flying across the keys. 

“Honey, I’m home,” Will kicked the door shut behind him and sidestepped Horton.

Derek looked up from his writing, “That was quick.”

“It was over two hours,” Will laughed, leaning down to kiss Derek. It somehow felt like they’d been doing this for a lifetime. That Derek’s papers had always been spread over the kitchen table.

“Huh,” Derek laughed, stretching his arms above his head and patting Will on the cheek, “Do I smell pizza. You’re a great provider.”

“If there was room on the table we could eat it here,” Will teased, setting the box on the counter and getting two plates out, “Come on Mr. Writer, you need food to feed your brain.”

When Will turned around Derek was right in front of him, “What if I want something else to feed my brain?”

“Like what? Some water?”

“Something else,” Derek leaned in closer and kissed Will, crowding him against the counter and pulling him close, “Something a little more filling.”

“That was a terrible innuendo,” Will’s laugh quickly turned to a bitten back groan as Derek slotted his thigh between Will’s legs, “We need to eat food, Chris will kill me if you don’t get him pages by Friday.”

“But I wrote so much today,” Derek  _ whined _ and Will laughed before kissing him and gently shoving him so that they could eat dinner. 

“How about this,” Will handed him a plate and grabbed a couple sliced of pizza for himself, “If you finish the pages you have due by Friday I’ll put out.”

“Are you saying my rocking bod isn’t enough to get you to put out?” Derek did an awkward little dance and Will laughed again. He hadn’t laughed this much in years, being around Derek made him feel lighter, just like being in Bar Harbor made him lighter. 

“I like you for your brain,” Will turned away to eat his pizza, a goofy smile on his face. 

\-----------

Derek  _ did _ finish his pages by Friday and Will called into work for the first time since he had moved back on Saturday. He just couldn’t get out of bed. 

When Derek’s three month rental on the house next door was up he didn’t move back to New York, but he did move. 

“You’ve only been here for three months, you didn’t even have to bring furniture, how do you have so much stuff?” Will asked as he carried what felt like the 10th load into his living room.

“Most of it is notes and research,” Derek followed behind him and collapsed onto the couch, “That was the last of it.”

“I thought you finished your book,” Will asked, throwing a leg over Derek’s thigh.

“I started a new one,” Derek grinned, kissing Will, “Something about the air up here, it’s inspiring.”

“I’m surprised you have time to write at all. I figured most of your time was spent bothering me,” Will chirped, but Derek wasn’t a bother, he was the missing piece that made Will’s life feel full.

“You like it,” Derek moved Will’s leg so he could straddle him, Yeah, he definitely wasn’t a bother, but he  _ was _ a distraction. 

\---------

Eleven months later Derek handed Will an advance copy of his newest novel over breakfast in the New York City apartment they lived in during the winter months when Will wasn’t needed at the diner. 

“Soul’s Harbor?” Will looked at the book in his hands.

“Just read it,” Derek kissed him and grabbed his jacket, “I’ve got a meeting with Chris. I’ll see you at dinner?”

“Yeah,” Will opened the book and started reading. 

It was the story of a struggling writer who didn’t feel inspired by anything he wrote. His editor suggested he go somewhere new to try to find inspiration. The author got more than he bargained for when his neighbor in the sleepy Maine tourist town he chose turned out to be the thing that set his soul on fire. 

The book wove a sweet and beautiful story about two men falling in love in the town, sharing secrets, drinking coffee, being the town’s favorite entertainment, and most of all, becoming a home for each other. 

Will read the entire book in one day and when Derek got home that night he found him wiping a tear from his cheek.

“You wrote us.”

“Nothing else seemed right,” Derek smiled, “But the ending doesn’t seem complete yet, don’t you agree.”

Derek got down on one knee and Will knocked him over with the force of his hug, “Yes I’ll marry you.”

“I didn’t even ask the question yet!” Derek said between kisses.

“You wrote an entire book that asked the question,” Will laughed.

But their story didn’t end like the one on the pages of Derek’s book, because there story didn’t end. They spent their springs, summers, and falls in Bar Harbor, Will working at the diner and doing freelance accounting like he had for years, Derek writing more stories in their home.

They spent winters in New York, Will did consulting, Derek wrote. 

Horton learned to love their Brooklyn brownstone. Their kids never had to learn to love it, to them it was as much home as the cottage on the rocky shores of Maine. 

It wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty damn close. Chris liked to claim that he set them up, sometimes they admitted that he had. 

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](exhuastedpigeon.tumblr.com)


End file.
